Local youth earns bike from Sandpoint Sports
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Local 7-year-old Easton McNall was all smiles on Thursday as he was the first recipient of a bike donated through a new program by Sandpoint Sports owners Lisa Campbell and Svein Nostdahl. Campbell is making earrings out of bicycle tire tubes and selling them to purchase a new bikes for deserving children in the community.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Local 7-year-old Easton McNall couldn’t hide his smile on Thursday as he was the first recipient of a bike donated through a new program by Sandpoint Sports owners Lisa Campbell and Svein Nostdahl. Campbell is making earrings out of bicycle tire tubes and selling them to purchase a new bikes for deserving children in the community. Easton is pictured on the left with his mother, Amanda McNall, with his brother Holt and father Dan McNall on the right.
Local 7-year-old Easton McNall, front, poses with his new bike. Also pictured are Sandpoint Sports owners Lisa Campbell, center, and Svein Nostdahl, right. (Photo by MARY MALONE)
(Photo by MARY MALONE)Local 7-year-old Easton McNall, front left, poses with his new bike, as he was the first recipient of a bike donated through a new program by Sandpoint Sports owners Lisa Campbell and Svein Nostdahl (not pictured). Campbell is making earrings out of bicycle tire tubes and selling them to purchase a new bikes for deserving children in the community. Also pictured is Easton’s brother Holt McNall, front right, his father Dan McNall, top left, and mother Amanda McNall, top right.
(Photo by MARY MALONE)Sandpoint Sports owner Lisa Campbell is making earrings out of bicycle tire tubes and selling them to purchase a new bikes for deserving children in the community.
SANDPOINT — Easton McNall tried to hide by his mom when he saw the small crowd waiting for him inside Sandpoint Sports on Thursday.
The shy 7-year-old could not hide his smile, however, as a brand new, blue and black bicycle with a big red bow was waiting for him as well. And that smile never diminished as he rode around the parking lot at the shop for over 20 minutes, until his parents loaded it up to take it home.
After being nominated by his teacher at Northside Elementary, Easton was the first recipient of a bicycle donated through a new program started by Sandpoint Sports owners Lisa Campbell and Svein Nostdahl.
"(His teacher) said with how hard he tries in school, she really wanted to acknowledge the hard work he puts in, so she nominated him," said Easton's mom, Amanda McNall. "Which is such a blessing, because he just learned how to ride not long ago."
The idea for the program arose about a month ago and evolved from there, Campbell said, and a pair of earrings she always wore were the inspiration. They were made out of bicycle tire tubes, and working at the bike shop, there were plenty of tubes laying around.
"I thought to myself, they wouldn’t be that hard to make," Campbell said. "So I started making them and I thought it would be really cool to find a deserving child who to give a bike."
She started chatting with some of their customers who thought it was a "great" idea, she said, so she set up a jewelry tree in the SKa'L tap room and hung some of the earrings on it to sell for $10 each. A sign at the base of the tree lets customers know that 100 percent of the profits go toward Sandpoint Sports donating a brand new bike to a deserving child.
One of those customers is Easton's first-grade teacher, Carolyn Whalen, who thought Easton would be the perfect fit for a new bike, because while he has some challenges in school, he always works hard and keeps a "great" attitude, Campbell said.
"He is a deserving child who was nominated by his teacher, and I want it to go out to all teachers that if they have any kids, please come in and talk to me about them," Campbell said. "Let’s keep the program going and find our next child to receive a bike."
Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.